Israel’s cabinet breathed new life on Sunday into efforts to anchor in law the country’s status as a Jewish state, legislation Palestinians have described as an obstacle to peace.
A ministerial committee approved a revised version of a bill first proposed in 2011 that declares the “State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people”, its author, Avi Dichter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, wrote on Facebook.
The legislation still has to go through further drafting by the Justice Ministry and pass several votes in parliament in what could be a lengthy process.
In practice, Israel as a 'Jewish state' means – & has always meant – "institutional discrimination" (US State Dept) for Palestinian citizens
— Ben White (@benabyad) May 7, 2017
But the cabinet-level step – two weeks before a visit by US President Donald Trump – could help Netanyahu shore up relations with far-right members of his government and underpin his campaign to press Palestinians to recognize Israel as the “nation-state” of the Jewish people.
Such acknowledgement has been a key Netanyahu demand for reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that collapsed in 2014 and which Trump has pledged to pursue.
Palestinians say accepting Netanyahu’s call could deny Palestinian refugees of past wars any right of return. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has characterized such “nation-state” legislation as putting “obstacles in the way of peace”.
As Netanyahu puts the bill for declaring "Israel" as a Jewish state back on the table, another Palestinian child is shot dead in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/e44X95SsdE
— Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) May 7, 2017
In meetings in Israel, Trump will discuss how he plans to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians, a goal that has evaded many previous administrations. He is also scheduled to meet Abbas during the trip.
Critics have described the proposed legislation, which also declares that the “right to self determination” in Israel is “unique to the Jewish people” as impinging on the rights of its Arab minority, who make up some 20 percent of the population.
“The nation-state law is tyranny by the majority and ‘legally’ turns us into second-class citizens,” Arab legislator Ayman Odeh wrote on Twitter after the cabinet committee’s decision.
Israel threatens to legalize apartheid by opening up a debate on becoming solely a Jewish state https://t.co/zfBeu6HznF pic.twitter.com/UBpjEaAgWY
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) May 7, 2017
Centrists in Netanyahu’s government have argued a “nation-state” bill is unnecessary, noting the 1948 Declaration of Independence already proclaimed a Jewish state. They have accused him of pandering to right-wingers, and past versions of the legislation failed to make it through parliament.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
Israel is clearly a racist Jewish –Zionist state. It has become a fascist state,
The law now defines Israel as a Jewish state or state for all Jews.
This law automatically renders non-Jews, e.g. Muslims and Christians who constitute nearly a quarter of Israel’s total population, as second-class citizens, or worse.
And to deceive the world, the definition also incorporates the word “democratic” into the definition of Israel.
However, it is very clear that Israel cannot be both Jewish and democratic since this constitutes a clear contradiction in terms.